Threshold powers seems low

My Threshold power is 190 and my LowerThreshold power is 136, I’m finding my workouts very easy. is there a way I can test if this is correct? I did a ramp test on Friday and got an FTP of 225.

Do a Xert breakthrough workout (search the library) in slope mode (not erg / auto, even if the description suggests it), and make sure

  1. you truly go to failure (so extend the interval or ride harder than suggested for the last interval in each block - an advantage of slope mode)
  2. you also include an all-out sprint at some point (to get an accurate peak power). Can be a separate workout as it’s easiest when fresh / start of a workout

You don’t strictly need to do a breakthrough workout, but they are good at making sure you draw down MPA over a sufficient time period e.g. 10 min or so. I like v3, or just a Ronnestad workout trying to exceed each interval by 10 to 20%

You can also check your signature vs ‘norms’ here to get a sense whether relativity really are ok.

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Thanks, Wesley, I did the workout you recommended and it has brought the Threshold and Lower threshold up.

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Would you recommend a
Breakthrough workout specific to the chosen athlete type? So for sprinter type one with shorter burst peaks and for more minute effort types one with longer durations?

Also, why switching ERG off, please? For the short bursts I understand that most (all?) Trainers adapt to slowly in ERG but for the more steady efforts?

Thanks :slight_smile:

ERG/trainer control will prevent you from truly expressing your fitness.
See this post –

Probably yes, ensure your signature ‘works’ for the focus you have, but I wouldn’t only do that duration effort as there are three parameters… ideally you get the three parameters broadly correct so it’s important to have some efforts across the range. That said, it doesn’t have to be in a single workout

In addition to what @ridgerider2 said, my understanding is that the pattern of failure is important to help the algorithm. Erg mode, or any effort that is on and then completely off suddenly (end of ftp test for example) is not a ‘natural’ failure pattern. Don’t have the details but that’s how it was explained to me

Ok, got it, thanks both - however my natural failure pattern is to fall of the bike after a FTP Test (metaphorically). So this might more on and off than the ERG one where you recover directly after the test pedalling on low watts.

Will review the provided links and stop hijacking this thread :innocent:

Definitely less effort than a standard RAMP or 20-minute FTP test. :+1:
Example: Xert - Workout Details (xertonline.com)

As for ERG control, imagine the workout has sprints at 900 watts but you’re capable of generating 960 today. Or an interval that should result in failure is 2-1/2 minutes long, but you’re able to push through today and it ends before you fail.
In both cases you could have exceeded target watts and duration had you been in Slope mode, thus ensuring the BT effort was at your natural limits. :wink:

I meant during the effort, not whether you recover afterwards (time pedaling below threshold has no impact on signature). But when you are on your limit in a race or something, despite trying, your power drops off and there is a curve… in ERG that doesn’t happen in the same way (cadence drops, resistance increases, cadence drops…)